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Thursday, March 6, 2014

Heaping More Miseries on Indian Women

BUDGET
2013-14

Heaping
More Miseries on Indian Women

The All
India
Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) has issued the
following statementonFebruary 21:

AIDWA condemns the
interim budget which claims
to be swayed by “equity concerns” but which has imposed
heavy additional burdens
on women, making it even more difficult for them to exercise
their right to a
violence free life.

An additional
allocation for the Nirbhaya Fund,
of 1000 crores carries little meaning if the survivors and
victims of sexual
violence are unable to access the funds for rehabilitation
and relief purposes.
It is most unfortunate that a similar allocation made
grandiosely in the last
budget has been spent only partially, and in a non
transparent manner.Moreover,
what is the use of making an
allocation while attacking women’s ability to survive in all
other sectors?

Displaying
fanatical loyalty to the neo-liberal
mantra of curtailing government expenditure, finance
minister P Chidambram has
slashed nearly Rs 32,000 crore from funds allocated to
crucial flagship schemes
and other welfare programs in the financial year 2013-14
that is just ending.
These cuts, while affecting crores of socio-economically
deprived families,
will specially harm women of the country as they constitute
the most vulnerable
section among the disadvantaged.

By brazenly cutting
welfare spending in the
run-up to the general elections, the UPA government is
playing into the hands
of the communal BJP because such attacks on the poor will
only push them into
the equally deceitful fold of the Modi-led party.
Neo-liberal fundamentalism is
feeding the rise of majoritarian fundamentalism.

Educational programs
have suffered cuts of Rs 2240.34 encompassing the mid-day
meal scheme, the
primary education program (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan) and the
secondary education
program (Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan). As it is,
girls are discouraged
from attending schools in higher classes – dropout rates are
higher for girls.
Moreover, key facilities like separate toilets for girls are
needed to
encourage parents to send girls to schools. These will
suffer after the
cutbacks. Mid-day meal is the only source for nutrition for
many families and
any cut in this program will see girl students getting
removed from schools as
families struggle to feed their children.

Drinking water and
sanitation programs have borne a massive cut of Rs 2934
crore combined. Again
this has a direct impact on women because it is womenfolk
that fetch drinking
water in most households. Similarly, not having toilets in
the home directly
pushes women into danger as they become open to attacks
while going to
fields/forests for attending calls of nature.

The ICDS funding has
been cut by Rs 1290 crore. This program is crucial for
providing nutrition to
children in the 0-6 year age group and also to pregnant
mothers. By cutting
funds for ICDS today’s and tomorrow’s children are being
condemned to
malnutrition. In addition lakhs of women work as anganwadi
workers and helpers
under the ICDS. These too will be adversely impacted by cuts
in ICDS spending.

The funds for MGNREGS
have not been cut in absolute terms but they have remained
stagnant over the
past four years, hovering around the Rs 30,000 crore per
year mark. In effect
this means a cut because the number of people, especially
women, needing jobs
will get turned away.

The National Health
Mission, which includes the dominant rural segment, has been
curtailed by a
massive Rs 2484 crore. This will have a serious effect on
key issues like
infant and maternal mortality. It will also affect
immunisation of children.
Over eight lakh women ASHAs who are at the frontline of
implementing the
program will also bear the burden of these cuts.

The National Mission for
Empowerment of Women (also called Mission Poorna Shakti) was
launched in 2010
to provide coordination between various women related
programs and catalyse
women’s empowerment. It’s spending was curtailed by more
than 50%, from Rs 738
crore to just Rs 347 crore.

Various other
enabling programs that support
rural infrastructure and livelihoods have similarly been
curtailed affecting
poorer families with marked effect on the women. Total Plan
Expenditure in
2013-14 had been projected last year as Rs 5.55 lakh crore
in budget estimates
but it stands slashed to Rs 4.75 lakh crore in revised
estimates.

For 2013-14, the
budget estimate for the
department of rural development had been pegged at Rs 74,478
crore but it has
been slashed to Rs 59,356 crore in revised estimate.
Similarly, the budget
estimate for the department of health and family welfare was
Rs 33,278 crore
but it has been slashed to Rs 27,531 crore in revised
estimate.

The AIDWA calls on
the government to halt the
neo liberal policy framework that has spelt misery for thecommon people, and
strive for real equity by
introducing pro-people, gender-friendly
measures in the budget.